Schools & Sports

When I think of this player and coach, I also think of his players, John Stockton, who still wore the standard basketball shorts instead of the “pedal-pusher” style of later years, and Karl Malone, whom I always envisioned as a “Maverick,” when the two of them were running the “Pick-and-Roll” for two points time-after-time, even when their foes knew what was coming! Yes, these three men personified some of the best days of the NBA at the end of the 20th Century, when I was still young enough to play basketball with our Church Team in Dallas and with my sons on various courts in Forney, including sometimes the Themer driveway.

There were few things better when I was a boy than going to Oklahoma for our summer vacation, because I had two Grandpas, who both really “loved” fishing, and I just knew I would get to go fishing every day that we were there—except Sunday, “The Lord’s Day,” usually spent at one set of Grandparents’ house with the rest of the extended family there for a large, luscious dinner and then relaxing until the early evening, when it would probably be time to play a card game, called PITCH.

After the events of the two months prior, the storms that rolled through the DFW area on Friday night seemed an appropriate preface to the ceremony scheduled for the following day. The drizzle that continued to fall at the Senior Baseball Celebration, held at Lake Pointe Church on Saturday, May 16, was not lost on Head Baseball Coach Tommy Sparks.

LAKE FORK- Back in the day, the drill for a crappie fishing trip went something like this: Pull up to a tree with limbs above the water, secure the boat, drop minnows down through the limbs and either catch crappie or spend 30 minutes trying and then move on to the next likely spot. Those days are long gone for Lake Fork guide Seth Vanover and other anglers savvy in the use of their “Livescope”, the latest innovation for seeing what’s below the surface of the water.

Even before they walked off the Norman High School Tigers, an exciting come-from-behind 3-1 win in a game played on March 12, rumblings of a season that would be put on hold had begun. Growing concern about Covid-19, and the spread of the novel new virus, made it the topic of the day. Earlier that day, Dallas ISD had announced that they were closing the district, meaning DISD schools would not be back for the final day of the final baseball tournament before district play began. Shortly thereafter, other districts began following suit.

Forney High Lady Rabbit Senior Captains were recently acknowledged by the Texas Association of High School Coaches and Texas Association of Soccer Coaches for top academic honors in the state. Student performance can be difficult to manage while participating in athletics, but their hard work has not gone unnoticed. These ladies are recognized as high school athletes who excel in class rank, GPA and ACT/SAT score. We applaud them for their commitment and dedication to perform at the highest level academically and on the field.

Forney High School track and cross country would like to congratulate Kaitlyn Acker for her commitment to her teams, school, and community.

As I was reading a “secondary” newspaper (Dallas Morning News) in our household, I spotted a headline that stated, “African American Studies Approved,” and I was immediately transported back to my younger days at dear ol’ East Texas State University in Commerce, Texas. I had a casual acquaintance there, who later became a semi-friend, classmate, and sometimes lunch table partner when we both happened to dine at Central Cafeteria—Harvey Banks Martin—“All-American” at ET and “STAR” for the Dallas Cowboys, when they were still the COW-BOYS!

Athletes are at risk of injury any time they step onto a field or court or into another competitive arena. Adults competing in sports may recognize that risk, but children often do not, which can make it difficult for young athletes to cope with injuries that prevent them from playing their favorite sports.

It was during the late 1950s, and I was out on the driveway “shooting” at the goal on the heavy wooden backboard my Dad and some family relatives had built and nailed into place onto the “across the front of the garage” roof gable 2” by 8” mounting planks.

Oh, I was a “Yankees” fan when I was a little boy and a not-so-little boy—Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Clete Boyer, Bobby Richardson, and I could keep on for a while.

“I will be in the FIRST GRADUATING CLASS of the ‘3—2 Athletic Training Master’s Program’ at Abilene Christian University and have completed my first semester of Graduate School at ACU.” (Annette Roberts had this reply when asked, “What are you doing these days after graduating from Forney High, and where are you headed?”

North Forney baseball began last season with high hopes. Led by nine talented seniors, most of whom had multiple years of experience playing at the varsity level, and one year removed from their first-ever playoff appearance, all signs pointed to a successful run into the 2019 UIL playoffs.